Drywall finishing newbie

844 Views 5 Replies 3 Participants Last post by ry597, Apr 25, 2020

ry597

Discussion Starter · Apr 23, 2020 (Edited)

hello guys! i have a unique scenario on my hands. i have a room that needs to be done(joints). the room has been painted with several heavy coats of paint and it has vinyl drywall underneat. the joints were covered with wooden strips that are like a half inch wide. so what compound should i use? i will be using steal beading because its the only product available down here. if i understand correctly first you've got to do a "prefill" on a prefill do you leave a crease of you fill it flush with the wall? do you let you prefill dry ? after aplying prefill you have to apply a small coat of taping mud before applying the tape? then after that another layer of taping mud onto the tape. and for the final coat you use finishing mud and apply a last coat? correct me if my process is wrong! and do you have to leave each layer dry before proceeding to the next step? from what i have understand there is 3 steps for a proper joint job. my joints are the following "vertical but joints/ ceiling inside corners/ceiling but joints/2 outiside corner/ a few vertical inside corners and i have to patch a hole in the ceiling where an old vent used to be. if someone could tell me what compound i need(explain and elaborate) and what tools would be best for a begginer? i was going to buy a hawk and a trowel with a 4or6 inch knife. i do not mind doing more labor(sanding) and taking more time. i have all summer to do it so if you have sugestion on doing it differently please let me know!

ps i am from eastern canada if that helps. mostly lightweight compounds.

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shelzmike

· #2 · Apr 23, 2020

So, are you talking about walls that are most usually found in mobile homes? When you say the joints have the wooden strips, are you saying the strips are proud of the flat wall surface? If so, are you attempting to make it all completely flat? Pics would help a lot in getting better advice.

As far as tools. Hawk and trowel are ultimately preferred in my opinion; however; troweling mud is a lot more difficult for a beginner.

I started put with a 4" knife for taping, 6" knife for 2nd coat and then either a 10" or max 12" knife for final. I rarely ever so a level 5 skim which is a whole different ballgame.

I still don't drywall enough to use a trowel very well, so what I actually do is use knives and hawk, so blending of the 2 styles. I like the way you hold a hawk better, plus it is easier to use all around. Easier to clean also. I do still use a tray for when I am doing touchups, especially if using setting compound so can mix it in tray.

As far as what type of mud...I always use a setting compound (45 or 90 minutes) with any tape type I use. If you use fiber mesh tape (which I abandoned long ago) you HAVE to use a setting type. I have grown very fond of Fibafuse tape and even though you can use drying compound with it, setting will still make it even stronger.

Lightweight all purpose is fine to use IMO and is what I use for my final 2 coats.

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mark sr

· #3 · Apr 23, 2020

It would be nice to verify just what you have. Mobile homes utilize 1/4" drywall with a vinyl face. You said the drywall has been painted - is the paint well adhered to the vinyl?

All purpose joint compound [green lid] has more adhesive properties than the lightweight muds. I too like setting compounds but they aren't all that novice friendly.

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ry597

Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 23, 2020 (Edited)

You guys know your stuff. its in fact 1/4 inch drywall! i didn't even knew it until now. the wooden strips are nailed onto the walls they overlap each joints. so when i remove those wooden strips it exposes the drywall joints which were left untouched. the paint is adhered good to the wall in some places and other places its peeling off. how about that i sand around each joints until ive sanded thru the paint and made a ruff surface for the compound to bond to? i will be removing popcorn ceilling aswell so if my walls are 1/4 inch my ceiling will be the same right? i do not quite fully understand the concept of choosing the right "mud". on a few youtube videos there was guys using 3 different compound. what should i look for? as for prefilling goes. when do you actually need to prefill? my but joints are very close together i have a 1/8 inch gap tops between every sheet. how much big of a gap would you need for prefilling? lets say i start applying my tape and theres this ⅛ gap in my joint. do i need to fill it with the tapping compound before applying my tape and do i need to let it dry? i still do not understand 100% with all these youtube videos it can be quite confusing. if someone could explain to me the basics and guide me onto what o actually need and what do i need to do that would be really appreciated! i have no experience into the drywall business whatsoever

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ry597

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 25, 2020

mark sr said:
It would be nice to verify just what you have. Mobile homes utilize 1/4" drywall with a vinyl face. You said the drywall has been painted - is the paint well adhered to the vinyl?

All purpose joint compound [green lid] has more adhesive properties than the lightweight muds. I too like setting compounds but they aren't all that novice friendly.

ive posted a few pictures and made a second post pn the same thread!

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ry597

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 25, 2020

shelzmike said:
So, are you talking about walls that are most usually found in mobile homes? When you say the joints have the wooden strips, are you saying the strips are proud of the flat wall surface? If so, are you attempting to make it all completely flat? Pics would help a lot in getting better advice.

As far as tools. Hawk and trowel are ultimately preferred in my opinion; however; troweling mud is a lot more difficult for a beginner.

I started put with a 4" knife for taping, 6" knife for 2nd coat and then either a 10" or max 12" knife for final. I rarely ever so a level 5 skim which is a whole different ballgame.

I still don't drywall enough to use a trowel very well, so what I actually do is use knives and hawk, so blending of the 2 styles. I like the way you hold a hawk better, plus it is easier to use all around. Easier to clean also. I do still use a tray for when I am doing touchups, especially if using setting compound so can mix it in tray.

As far as what type of mud...I always use a setting compound (45 or 90 minutes) with any tape type I use. If you use fiber mesh tape (which I abandoned long ago) you HAVE to use a setting type. I have grown very fond of Fibafuse tape and even though you can use drying compound with it, setting will still make it even stronger.

Lightweight all purpose is fine to use IMO and is what I use for my final 2 coats.

i posted a few pictures and made a second post on the same thread!

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